"Marine of the Year" Takes His Case to Trial

The Boston Globe reports today that Dan Cotnoir, the highly-decorated "Marine of the Year" in 2005, who fired warning shots into his urban neighborhood and injured some late-night revelers in Lawrence, Mass., has elected to take his case to trial.  Earlier reports suggested that he was willing to plead guilty, but apparently today he changed his plea.  No idea what legal strategy he is falling, and there's no guarantee this strategy will work out; but it's understandable from the circumstances and a look at what Cotnoir endured in Iraq, why post-traumatic stress disorder is an issue in this trial.  Our thoughts are with Cotnoir, his family and his victims, and we promise to follow this trial carefully because it may be precedent-setting in cases concerning PTSD from the current war in Iraq.